Whether you are a patient or a visitor, we are committed to ensuring that everyone receives excellent service. Alameda Health System’s extensive patient and visitor services can provide everything from spiritual care to health advocates. Our friendly volunteers and staff will help you with questions and concerns about your experience at AHS and ensure that the needs of all patient and family members are promptly cared for. Our goal is to ensure that regardless of your reason for being at AHS, you have the most positive experience possible.

Alameda Health System takes pride in serving you and in delivering quality care. Your comments will help us to improve the care we provide and we would like to resolve any concern you might have as soon as possible. If you have any concerns about your stay while you are in the hospital, please ask to speak with the nurse manager. You may also contact the following at each of our locations:

Alameda Health System / Highland Hospital

The Patient Experience Office can help when you or your family members have concerns regarding the patient care experience. We are committed to ensuring that all concerns are addressed in a respectful and courteous manner, and we welcome all feedback.

The patient experience office is located on the third floor of the E-Wing (old building), room E-304 of Highland General Hospital. Hours or operation are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday (excluding holidays), and the office is closed between noon and 1 p.m. for lunch.

The office can be reached at (510) 437-4108, which includes a 24-hour confidential voice messaging system. We strive to return calls on weekdays within 48 hours.

Alameda County is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the United States, and AHS’s extensive interpreter services offers trained medical interpreters who can provide interpretation in 26 languages.

AHS incorporates the latest technology to help patients communicate with English-speaking medical staff. Our two-way Videoconferencing Medical Interpretation (VMI) program increases access to medical interpretation and decreases wait time for providers and Limited English Proficiency patients using voice, video, data, and mobile applications. Through our call manager system, which has an interactive voice response (IVR) component that detects voice and keypad input, callers will be directed to the language appropriated interpreter. Remote (VMI & Phone) interpretation requests are answered in five minutes or less. Qualified Bilingual staffs (QBS) also are available to provide language assistance.

AHS works with area faith leaders, including pastors, rabbis, and imams, to provide spiritual counseling and bereavement support to patients, their families, and employees. Local faith leaders and congregations offer visitation and consultation services and assist with funerals and memorial services regardless of religious affiliation or lack thereof.

The spiritual care department also is available to help with many other challenging life issues, including relationship conflicts, separation and divorce, parent and child issues, abuse, and disabilities. Spiritual care providers offer confidential discussions and will visit employees and family members where care is needed outside of the hospital, including nursing homes, family homes, and funeral homes.

Spiritual care leaders will respond by phone within thirty minutes. Their services are voluntary, confidential, and neutral from AHS operations.

Spiritual care services can be contacted through AHS operators at (510) 437-4800.

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully

Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.

Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record

You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.

We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Ask us to correct your medical record

You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.

We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications

You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.

We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we use or share

You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.

If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.

Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information

You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.

We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost- based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

Get a copy of this privacy notice

You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.

Choose someone to act for you

If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.

We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.

For More Information or to file a complaint if you feel your privacy rights are violated

If you have questions and would like additional information, you may contact the Medical Records Department at 510-437-4466.

You can complain if you feel we have violated your privacy rights by contacting us using the information on page one in the downloadable PDF above.

You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:

Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care

Share information in a disaster relief situation

Include your information in a hospital directory

If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In these cases we never share your information unless you give us written permission:

Marketing purposes

Sale of your information

Most sharing of psychotherapy notes

Our Uses and Disclosures

How do we typically use or share your health information?

We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.

Treat you
We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.

Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.

Run our organization
We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.

Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services. We use your health information to support necessary business, financial and clinical functions. Examples of these functions may include: auditing our clinical procedures, analyzing our cost of care, arranging for patient satisfaction surveys, fundraising and determining the need for new health care services

Bill for your services
We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.

Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

How else can we use or share your health information?

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.

We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:

Preventing disease

Reporting births and deaths

Helping with product recalls

Reporting adverse reactions to medications

Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence

Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety

Notifying emergency response employees regarding possible exposure to HIV/AIDS, to the extent necessary to comply with state and federal laws.

Do research
We may disclose information to researchers when their research has been approved by an institutional review board that has reviewed the research proposal and established protocols to ensure the privacy of your health information.

Comply with the law
We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law.

Health Information Exchange (HIE)
We may make your protected health information available electronically through one or more state, regional, or national information exchange services to other healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses that request your information for treatment or payment for that treatment. Participation in health information exchange services also means that we may see information about you from other providers.

Your participation in a HIE is voluntary and subject to your right to opt-out. Where possible, you may be provided with educational information prior to the enrollment of the participating organization. More information on our HIE can be found at our website: http://www.MyAlamedaHealth.org.

Respond to organ and tissue donation requests

We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.

Appointment Reminders
We may contact you to provide appointment reminders.

Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.

Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests

We can use or share health information about you:

For workers’ compensation claims

For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official as required by law.

With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law

For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services

Respond to lawsuits and legal actions

We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

Business Associates

There are some services provided in our organization through contracts with business associates. Examples include transcribing your medical record, surveying for patient satisfaction, and a copy service we use when making copies of your health record. When services are provided by contracted business associates, we may disclose the appropriate portions of your health information to them so they can perform the job we have asked them to do. However, our business associates are also required by law to safeguard your information.

Our Responsibilities

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.

We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.

We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.

We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

As a recipient of Federal financial assistance, Alameda Health System does not exclude, deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity in admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits under any of its programs and activities, whether carried out by Alameda Health System directly or through a contractor or any other entity with which Alameda Health System arranges to carry out its programs and activities.

This statement is in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Regulations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued pursuant to these statutes at Title 45 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 80, 84, and 91.

Alameda Health System:

Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as:

Qualified sign language interpreters

Written information in other formats (large print, audio, accessible electronic formats, other formats)

Provides free language services to people whose primary language is not English, such as:

Qualified interpreters

Information written in other languages

If you need these services, contact Interpreter Services at 510-437-4491.

If you believe that Alameda Health System has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity, you can file a grievance with:

You can file a grievance by phone, mail, fax, or email. If you need help filing a grievance, Risk Management teamis available to help you.

You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, or by mail or phone at:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington, D.C. 20201
1-800-368-1019, 800-537-7697 (TDD)
Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html.

Health Advocates is a volunteer-powered, client-centered program that serves several thousand patients each year. Volunteers and staff work together to help AHS consumers navigate the system and connect with legal and community resources that can improve their health and quality of life.

As the first Bay Area Regional Help Desk Consortium (BARHC) site, Health Advocates (HA) of Alameda Health System, formerly Highland Health Advocates, opened in March 2013. The program works with healthcare providers and staff at Highland Hospital, Fairmont Hospital, and Hayward Wellness Center to help patients and their families address social needs and improve their access to public resources. HA partners with legal aid centers and rights advocates to offer patients legal services.

The program was founded to address social and economic barriers in patients’ lives. Good health is built on much more than treating the symptoms of disease, as patients should have access to basic needs such as adequate housing, healthy food, employment, and other factors. We collaborate with medical staff, social workers, and medical-legal partners as well as passionate community volunteers to help patients live healthier lives.

Volunteer Health Associates provide face-to-face and telephone assistance to AHS consumers. On any given day, a volunteer might help a patient apply for CalFresh, make an appointment at a local food bank, or provide information for affordable housing. Patients facing issues such as eviction, unsanitary housing, immigration concerns, or termination of their public benefits will be referred to one of our legal partners. Volunteers also make follow-up calls to ensure that each patient’s needs have been met and to offer further assistance. All Health Advocates receive a weekly meal stipend.

Our volunteers are committed to helping the community and getting more involved in health and social justice issues. AHS’s Health Advocates program offers volunteers first-hand experience with inpatient, outpatient, and emergency room clients that can supplement their education and provide professional development toward future goals. Health Advocates work in a fast-paced hospital environment, interacting with medical staff, social workers, and attorneys while learning the intricacies of navigating a complex county health care system and developing a solid understanding of community resources in Alameda County.

For more information about Health Advocate’s responsibilities, see our FAQs.

Application Process

Applicants must:

Be 18 years or older

Pass an AHS background check

Be courteous, responsible, honest, and accountable

Relevant volunteer/work experience and a strong interest in public health, law, social work, medicine, psychology, or related fields are highly recommended.

HA is a volunteer-powered program that connects patients to community resources with the goal of minimizing health disparities. Volunteers assess patients for resource needs such as food, housing, transportation, and public benefits and work with a strong medical-legal partnership to address the extent of patients’ needs.

Our services include:

Housing

Waitlist Enroll-A-Thons

Shelter information

Food

CalFresh application

Victims of Crime (VOC) application

Establishing a primary care provider

Legal aid

Immigration concerns

Employment issues

Consumer debt

Health coverage issues

Public benefits issues

HA currently places volunteers at three sites:

Highland Hospital is the acute care hospital for AHS and one of two trauma centers in the county. Health Advocates are stationed at various help desks within the hospital, and our advocates provide screening and interventions at the desks and in mobile response at the bedside when requested by healthcare providers.

The Health Advocates are a mobile team within Fairmont Hospital’s inpatient acute rehabilitation and skilled nursing units. In this unique setting, our advocates are the sole providers of bedside interventions, where they practice interviewing and intervention skills with patients and their families.

Hayward Wellness is a part of AHS’ network of community-based ambulatory clinics, where HA services focus on integrated medicine. Advocates are stationed at a help desk in the main lobby and make rounds with care providers supporting patient care and resource needs. Advocates have the unique opportunity of working with mid-county AHS consumers, offering the best of a coordinated continuum of care across AHS.

What are the responsibilities of a Health Advocate?

We are looking for vibrant, reliable, and committed volunteers who want to make a difference. Health Advocates will gain front-line experience navigating health care in addition to interfacing daily with physicians, social workers, and nurses and honing interviewing skills in a clinical setting.

Navigating resources within the community and providing warm hand-offs to the next person in the communication chain.

Conducting internal outreach for program projects.

Screening and enrolling patients in research studies.

Collaborating in a team setting to determine best plan of care.

Working in a coordinated continuum of care with physicians, social workers, and hospital staff.

Attending weekly debrief sessions to review experiences and facilitate a feedback loop with team members.

Participating in in-depth training sessions.

Health Advocate volunteers will also receive a weekly meal stipend!

When do I apply?

Applications for the current recruitment cycle for the Fall 2017 session will be accepted between May 8, 2017 and June 30, 2017. The application, cover letter and resume are due 24 hours after you submit your application.

Fall 2017

Orientation: 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017. No exceptions will be made for this mandatory orientation, which is the only option available.

Health clearance deadline: Friday, Aug. 4, 2017

Sessions begin Monday, Aug. 28, 2017

What is the commitment?

Attendance at the orientation session.

Completion of hospital on-boarding requirements.

Minimum of one 4-hour shift per week that will include a 30-minute post-shift debriefing session

First shift: 8:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Second shift: 10:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Third shift: 12:45 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

A total of three terms (approximately nine months) of active volunteering from start date. Here are ways to complete this requirement:

Once your application and documents are reviewed, we will contact candidates with interview details. Please confirm within 24 hours.

What are the on-boarding requirements with AHS and HA?

If you are accepted into the HA program, you will be required to attend an HA orientation, where you will receive specialized training on hospital policy on safety and confidentiality, the history of HA and the Bay Area Regional Help Desk Consortium, skills on clinical interviewing and intervention, as well as resource database utilization and management.

All applicants must pass a health screening and background check. To obtain hospital health clearance, the following documents are needed:

Documentation of two-step (two separate and negative) tuberculosis skin test (TST) performed elsewhere. 1 test can be within the last 12 months; the 2nd test should be within the last 3 months.

For anyone with a documented history of a positive TB test, a chest x-ray done within the last 12 months is required. A chest x-ray may be obtained at your primary care provider’s office.

Proof of immunity either by immunization records, and or titer(s) –blood test, must be provided for the Measles (rubeola), Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella (chicken-pox).

Those with records of Hepatitis B vaccine and Tetanus, Diphtheria, Adacel Pertussis (Tdap) should bring copies to have included in their file.

Influenza vaccine is mandatory of all volunteers during the flu season (November 1st-March 31st).

Nominate a Nurse for the Daisy Award

Whether you’re a patient, visitor or one of our own, a nurse’s healing presence has likely brightened your experience at Alameda Health System. We’re proud of our nurses for their skill and compassion, and we hope they’ve touched your life in an uplifting way.

Please show your appreciation by nominating a favorite nurse for one of our Daisy Awards. Each honoree will be recognized at a ceremony in his or her unit and will receive a certificate; a Daisy Award pin; and a hand-carved stone sculpture, “A Healer’s Touch.”